1971 Alumacraft

[Pinkyman]

So over the weekend i picked up a boat from my wifes aunt. It is a 1971 Alumacraft 16' with a 1971(?) Johnson 9.5 horse. My wifes grandparents bought the boat, motor and trailer new in 1971. Its been sitting for almost 16 years, although her aunt got stickers for it and had the boat tuned up a few years ago, but never put it in the water. She is moving and just wanted it gone, so my wife and i decided to take it since none of the other kids wanted it. It also came with a Minnkota 765 MX trolling motorwith foot control (needs a prop), and i got a humminbird 196ci for free from one of my coworkers when he upgraded.

I went out to the farm and picked it up on Saturday. I immediately noticed the leaves and junk piled in it, and the moss growing on the seats, the tires were rotted, and the trailer lights were all cracked except 1 brake light. It was also missing half of the bow roller, and when i went to tighten up the winch line, the rope immediately snapped, so i had to ratchet strap it down for the short ride home.

So we aired up the tires and towed it the 16 miles home, then i brought it in the garage and started cleaning. I vacuumed all the leaves out, took off the anchors and ropes, and started with some Staybright. Then i replaced the front winch and rope, and picked up a new anchor rope, plug, fuel line, and a cover with center pole.

Here she is right when i got it home:





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And some before and after as i was cleaning it up:









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And the engine and trolling motor:

 

[Pinkyman]

My next order of business will be replacing the transom, and getting the motor running. I would also like to get some 3/4" marine plywood and make a casting deck on the front. Nothing fancy, i was basically going to cut out a section to fit over the 2 furthest forward seats, and then build a box for the trolling motor to mount to, and fasten it all to the existing seats somehow.






Also on the list of things that will need attention in the upcoming weeks:
New trailer lights (already purchased)
New trailer tires
New boat LED lights
Build a mount for the depth finder and switches for interior lights of some sort
New seats that dont have moss growing on them

I was also toying with the idea of blasting the trailer, and painting it black. But for now im going to work on whats needed to get it in the water.

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This is kind of what im shooting for with the front deck, only with a spot for the trolling motor.



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I am new to this, and have built many Jeeps and VWs, but i have never done anything with boats before. So any recommendations/idea are appreciated :mrgreen:

 

[Shaugh]

Those old Alumacrafts are some of the best tin ever made. I've got a 53 that's virtually identical... To freshen up the surfaces use one of these brushes. It's effortless because they don't dig in like wire and they do a nice job on even the worst corrosion.

https://www.amazon.com/Dico-541-778-4-Nyalox-4-Inch-Orange/dp/B00004YYD8

 

[crazymanme2]

Make sure you service the motor. Impeller, plugs , & lower unit oil for starters.

Nice find =D>

 

[Givey1982]

Don't use marine plywood in aluminum boats. There is a lot of info here about it but bottom line is that it and aluminum are a bad combination. Regular plywood works with treatment.

Varnish 2oz
Linseed Oil 2oz
Mineral spirits 2 oz

This is not my mixture but one Johnny and others recommend. I will be using it on my boat in a couple of months.

Good luck with the boat. It appears to be a great find with loads of fishing fun still in it!

Greg

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Marine plywood is ok to use it's just very expensive. Exterior grade plywood ABX, BCX, CDX is a much less expensive option. The old timers formula is a good home made sealer. The formula is one part Boiled Linseed Oil, one part Spar Varnish or Spar Urethane and two parts Mineral Spirts, by changing the amount of each part one ounce or one gallon you can mix up as much as you need..
Never use Pressure Treated wood on an aluminum boat. The copper used to treat the wood is not compatibly with the aluminum and will cause damage to the aluminum.

 

[Pinkyman]

Thanks for the tips guys! I went ahead and used ABX on it, as this project kind of fell into my lap and i wasnt prepared to spend hundreds of dollars on marine plywood anyways lol. I may re-do the whole thing this winter, with new paint and all.

But for now i went ahead and finished up the transom, mounted the motor, and just covered the seats in carpet. I will be adding 2 swivel/folding seats next. I also build a small platform for my depth finder/cupholders/switch panel etc. I may modify that platform, but it will do for now.

Now i just need to try to find a new fuel line and bulb, then i can see if the engine fires and runs. Hopefully i can do that this weekend. Then she should be pretty well ready to go in the water for the first time in 16 years! Then i will probably just add some LED lights and rod holders, and maybe some other creature comforts.

 

[Pinkyman]

Oh and i need to figure out how to mount my transducer. I dont want to drill holes in the boat, and i really dont want to c-clamp a board on it. I would like to do something more permanent like some sort of adhesive.

 

[Pinkyman]

I just scored a piece of aluminum and a piece of delran from work. Im going to epoxy one of them to the rear of the boat, and use that to screw my transducer to for my depth finder. Now i need to make this thing run and get it in the water!

 

[Pinkyman]

I picked up some new seats and mounts the other day, and got those put in on Saturday. I also got the ol Johnson 9.5 fired up after sitting for like 6 years. 4 pulls! I was pretty amazed!

I fail at embedding.........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V_h-2k0MVY

 

[Johnny]

Givey said: Don't use marine plywood in aluminum boats.
There is a lot of info here about it but bottom line is that it and aluminum
are a bad combination. Regular plywood works with treatment.

Marine Plywood is not the same as Pressure Treated Plywood . . . .

use the "search" feature at the top of the page to help you with any of your concerns.





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